Thuituen 1
1 Jerusalem manghai David capa kah thuituenkung ol.
These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 A honghi, a honghi ni. Thuituenkung loh, “A honghi, a honghi, a honghi boeih ni,” a ti.
“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
3 Khomik hmuiah a thakthae bangla a thakthaenah cungkuem lamloh hlang taengah balae a rhoeikhangnah.
What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
4 Thawnpuei loh cet tih cadil thoeng coeng dae diklai he kumhal duela a pai moenih.
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
5 Khomik loh thoeng tih khomik he kun bal. Te phoeiah amah hmuen te a hloem pahoi tih thoeng.
The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises.
6 Tuithim la cet tih tlangpuei la aka mael khohli he a tinghil, a tinghil doela cet. Te phoeiah khohli he a hlaep la mael.
The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.
7 Soklong boeih khaw tuitunli la pawk. Tedae tuitunli tah hah tlaih pawh. Soklong rhoek khaw a long nah hmuen la mael tih cet.
All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the streams come, there again they flow.
8 Olka boeih he bonghnaek. Hlang loh a thui hamla a noeng moenih. Mik loh a hmuh te hah pawt tih hna a yaak te cung pawh.
All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.
9 Mebang khaw aka om tangtae bangla om bal vetih, mebang khaw a saii tangtae bangla a saii bal ni. Te dongah khomik hmuikah he a thai boeih moenih.
What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
10 “A thai he hmu lah, he tah khosuen lamloh om oepsoeh coeng tih mamih hlan lamloh om,’ a ti te ol om nim?
Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.
11 Lamhma kah neh hmailong kah khaw poekkoepnah om pawh. Aka om ham te khaw hmailong kah aka om taengah poekkoepnah om mahpawh.
There is no remembrance of those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.
12 Kai tah thuituenkung neh Jerusalem kah Israel soah manghai la ka om.
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 Vaan hmui kah a saii boeih te cueihnah neh dawtlet ham khaw, yaam ham khaw ka lungbuei ka paek. Hlang capa rhoek te amah phaep uh saeh tila Pathen loh yoethae bibi a khueh pah.
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
14 Khomik hmui kah a saii bitat boeih te ka hmuh. Te dongah a cungkuem he a honghi neh khohli doinah ni ne.
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
15 Aka khun he dueng hamla coeng pawt tih vitvawtnah khaw tae hamla coeng pawh.
What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 Kamah tah ka lungbuei ah ka cal tih, “Ka pantai tih Jerusalem ah khaw ka mikhmuh kah aka om boeih lakah cueihnah ka thap, ka lungbuei long khaw cueihnah neh mingnah muep a hmuh la he,” ka ti.
I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”
17 Ka lungbuei he cueihnah ming ham neh anglatnah ming ham ka paek. Te dongah lunghmangnah he khaw khohli dongkah kohnek ni tila ka ming.
So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
18 Cueihnah a cungkuem nen khaw konoinah cungkuem tih, mingnah a koei khaw nganboh ni a koei.
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
